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Reading The Pictures is dedicated to the analysis of news photos and media images.

August 27, 2008

Our Man On The Floor: Beyond The Glamour And The Power

Yesterday morning, the driver at our hotel gave us a ride downtown.

When we told him the last shuttle bus leaving the Pepsi Center the night before took an hour just to exit the complex, he got irritated. He told us the city had invited hundreds of limo drivers to town to ferry people back and forth from the convention. Then, as time got close, the city got panicked about the security situation — even more than they were already — and decided to hire a fleet of buses to handle the job instead. Not only did these limo drivers — some who had come from as far away as Missouri — get stuck with hotel rooms, the city also cut a deal with SuperShuttle so that arriving visitors at the airport were directed to them while these limos languished outside.

The man in this photo isn’t the one who gave us the ride. He’s a guy working a concession stand at the Pepsi Center who just stepped out for a smoke. But, beyond the glamour and power on display this week, I’m wondering what his story might be.